Arty provides very clear instructions on how to get to her place, dos and don'ts, answers to FAQs, checking-out process and attractions near the location. She was also always very responsive, responding almost immediately most of the time. We arrive after her 9 pm check-in time, but she welcomed us warmly, taking the time to patiently explain how everything in the house work, showed us a map of the area, pointing the various shopping & dining areas. She also suggested some places we could visit during our stay.
Her place is a short walk from the Ratchaprarop Airport Rail Station, which makes it very convenient to get to from Suvarnabhumi Airport. However, if you are young ladies arriving later at night, consider taking a Grab or taxi from the station. It is really a very short walk, however, you'll have to walk across the railway track in dimly-lit conditions. We also found it very convenient to walk to Phaya Thai BTS station, though again, this means walking along the railway track (in dimly-lit condition at night).
Once you are based at Arty's place, it is really right above the Pratunam Markets. During our 10 days stay, we visited the night market almost every day & each time, we spot different interesting items for sale. I also attempted the Pratunam morning market with my daughters twice, losing our bearings on our first visit. Arty's place is also within walking distance to Platinum Fashion Mall, MBK, Siam Discovery Centre, Siam Paragon, etc. We practically walk everywhere - that is until we discovered Grab. We realised Grab can be a reasonably priced option on days we were too tired to walk back. The beauty is that we do not really need to communicate with the driver - just key in the pick up point and destination, wait at the pick up point & after the ride, pay in cash, voila. We usually round up the cost of the ride (as we read somewhere that tips are expected).
From the outside, the building looked old and run-down. There is a gym on the ground floor, however, the space looked more like it is used for storage than any weight lifting. It also stunk on most days. The entrance to the building is left open in the day time. However, entry at night would require the token pass. Then again, it is really a high traffic condominium and the people are really friendly. They will open/ hold the doors whenever they see someone coming. We noticed CCTVs on every level. Our unit was on level 5, by the staircase and every night, we return to groups of youngsters gathered at the stairway. They may eat, smoke, chat or sing. They generally keep to themselves. At times, they can get a little loud, making it difficult to sleep if you are a light-sleeper. On some days, they stayed on past mid-night and into the wee hours of the morning. I'm not sure if there is anything that can be done to mitigate if you are caught in such a situation, but we just bear with it on those odd days.
Everything in the house worked just fine. Arty showed us her stash of water 'for emergency use', which she explained are purely for emergency standby and 'never happened before'. We also notice an emergency power supply. I must say it worried us at first despite her assurance. Coming from a place where we no longer store water or have power standby 'for emergencies', having such 'emergency stash' brought on an 'alert' switch internally. However, thankfully, just as Arty assured us, we did not have any need for those emergency supplies. Arty also supplies some snacks, beverage and instant noodles for us during our stay. They were a good sampling of the local delights and we bought more from Big C to take home.
My children found the blankets soft and comfortable, so I asked Arty where she got them from. She got her mum to take us to the shop! Yes, we lugged home 2 sets of bedsheets & comforters! I could not get used to the bed on the first 2 nights, but I guess we can never expect everything to be comfortable like home, since home is customised to our exact preferences.
We checked-out at noon on our last day and Arty was able to hold our luggage for a fee of 100 baht per person. This saved us a lot of trouble since our flight was close to mid-night. We were able to shop carefree and return to collect our luggage after dinner before making our way to the airport.
Really, there is nothing to complain about Arty's place. Just know that the exterior of the building and the stench at times does not seem welcoming, these disappear the moment you enter the house. It is a lovely, comfortable accommodation, with lovely hosts, a place we will definitely return to on our future Bangkok trips.
One last tip is to consider flying in & out of Suvarnabhumi Airport as it is really convenient to get to and from Arty's place.